Formally commissioned on August 30, 1923, the motto of the USS Colorado BB-45 was Vigilans Adsis or Ever Alert. On her maiden voyage she sailed to Portsmouth, England; Cherbourg, France; Villefranche, France; Naples, Italy and Gibraltar before returning to New York in February 1924. From 1924-1941 the USS Colorado operated as part of the Battle Fleet in the Pacific. She aided relief efforts after the 1933 Long Beach, California earthquake and participated in the search for Amelia Earhart in 1937. Based in Pearl Harbor in 1941, the USS Colorado participated in exercises in the Pacific before departing in September of that year for renovation and over-haul in Bremerton, Washington. When the Japanese launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941, the USS Colorado was docked at the Puget Sound Naval Yard. The battleship was ordered to immediately begin patrolling the west coast of the United States. During World War II, the USS Colorado and its crew earned 10 Battle Stars on the Asiatic-Pacific Area Service Ribbon in 204 combat days. The ship traveled 161,879 miles from 1942-1945 and fired over 60,000 rounds or nearly 7,000 tons of ammunition. The USS Colorado crew is credited with shooting down 11 enemy aircraft. Unfortunately, the ship suffered significant damage in battle: 22 hits from a hidden enemy battery on shore at Tinian, summer of 1944; direct hit from a Japanese kamikaze plane, November 27, 1944; and enemy shell fire in the Lingayen Gulf, January 9, 1945. All told, the USS Colorado lost 77 men, 338 wounded, and six missing in action. The ship was in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1946 when the Japanese Instrument of Surrender was signed aboard the Battleship Missouri, officially ending World War II. By September 20, the warweary men aboard the USS Colorado left Tokyo Bay for Oahu, Hawaii and then made their way home to San Francisco. From November 1, 1945 to January 31, 1946, the USS Colorado made five “Magic Carpet” trips to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, bringing thousands of grateful American soldiers, sailors and Marines home from war. The USS Colorado was placed on reserve and out of commission in January 1947. The once mighty battleship was sold for scrap on July 23, 1959 for a mere $611,777.77. Thankfully, artifacts from the USS Colorado have been preserved in several repositories throughout the State of Colorado and elsewhere. In 1947, Governor William Knous proclaimed the University Memorial Center at the University of Colorado, Boulder as the official state memorial to those who died in war, “to preserve our democratic freedoms.” During WWII, the U.S. Navy’s Japanese Language School was relocated from Berkeley, California to the University of Colorado. At its peak, the language school taught 600 students. The 125 instructors were primarily women born in the United States of Japanese descent. The Veterans Lounge at the UC Boulder houses the ship’s bell, the original helm, and the “Sunday Flag” from the USS Colorado BB-45. A model of the ship made by members of the USS Colorado Alumni Association is also on display there. A USS Colorado Memorial bench rests on the grounds of the Colorado State Capitol, placed there by members of the University of Colorado Naval Alumni Association. An elaborate silver tea set from the USS Colorado is now part of the historic collection at the Colorado Governor’s Mansion. The $5,000 silver service was given to the second USS Colorado in 1908, before being passed on to USS Colorado BB-45 in 1922. At the 1908 ceremony, Colorado Attorney General Dickson remarked, “As representatives of the state of Colorado we have journeyed many miles to pay our respects to our namesake. This magnificent cruiser is named for Colorado. In presenting to you this silver service I trust that as often as you use it you will be reminded of the pride which her people will ever take in the efficiency and success of the Colorado.” Captain E. B. Underwood, commander of the ship accepted the service on behalf of the officers and men, and replied that he had never been an advocate of “free silver” until he beheld the service presented. This November as we pause to commemorate Veteran’s Day, we take great pride in the historic service of the USS Colorado BB-45, and wish all aboard the fourth USS Colorado, a Virginia-class nuclear powered attack submarine now in service: “Safe voyage, Fair weather and Following seas!” MUSELETTER NOVEMBER 2019| PG 7
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